inheritance | IC Inbox

[...Well, in all honesty? When he thinks of Mitsuru, he knows she probably found a way home. She's safe, somehow--he's sure of that.

But Ryoji is...]

I don't know. It's a lot to process, to be honest.

[Ryoji's gone now.

He should've known it'd be fleeting, really, but...]

[The reply is immediate. It is a lot to process. Minato's in the same boat as him, losing two friends like this--of course he's not okay.]

Do you want some company?

Okay.

I think it'd probably be good for both of us to be together right now.

[Izuku has lost people too, right?]

[Leave it to Minato to figure that part out.]

I think so, too. I'll be right over.

[Izuku wastes no time heading over to Minato place after he sends the message, knocking on the door with a sigh.]

[And Minato will be waiting for him! He put out a bowl of fruit on the table, and some glasses of water... and he opens the door for Izuku immediately, murmuring a soft:]

Come in...

[Come on in, Izuku, time to bond over sads.]

It's good to see you.

[Tired as he is, he musters up a smile for Minato.]

Thanks... [He'll slide into one of the chairs and fiddle with a glass of water without actually drinking from it yet.]

He was fine just a couple days ago. [Izuku murmurs, finally. That's probably the worst part of it, how sudden it can be. One day they're around, and the next they're gone.]

[... Yeah. That's...what's so surreal about it. Minato just frowns a little, hands shoved into his pockets even while sitting down.]

... It's strange, isn't it? Thinking that...we have to keep going on here, even though they've left and gone back home.

Yeah. It's definitely weird. [Izuku drags a hand through his messy curls before he shakes his head, like he's trying to shake off those bad thoughts.]

At least...they're back home now. It might take a while to fix up this place, but we'll see them again once we find a way back. They'll be waiting for us, so we can't let them down.

... You're right about that.

[At least some of them will see their families again when they go home. It's starting to become a familiar pang, thinking about what he's left behind and what he can never return to, but he shoves that down in favor of dragging in a slow breath.

(And Ryoji... Ryoji's gone forever, Minato having had this fleeting opportunity to see him again. It feels like he didn't make the most of it, somehow, even though he tried.)]

When you see Iida-san again... [...] What do you think you'll say to him?

Oh! [Strangely, Izuku hasn't really given that much thought yet. Maybe it's because part of him has a feeling that it'll still be some time before he sees Iida again. It's already been months since they got here, and they've only made a little progress so far, after all.

Izuku bows his head for a moment, thinking it over.]

Something like... "It's good to see you again." or... "I'm glad you're safe." Maybe? [Izuku smiles gently.] Or maybe I could just hug him! I didn't get to do that while he was still here. Someone told me that words aren't always enough on their own, that they mean more when they're backed up with action.

Hm... that's true. I think that's a good idea.

[Never hurts to back up emotions with action, after all. Minato's never been super touchy-feely, but sometimes he thinks that maybe he should've made more of an effort to be.]

It might be a bit of a surprise, but I think that'll just make it have even more of an impact.

I think so, too. [Though imagining Iida's surprise is accompanied by a pang, it's not quite as painful as it was before. Iida and Momo are both fine, he has to believe it.] It's sort of a relief to know that they're both back home now, too. At least they'll be able to alert our other classmates and teachers what's going on.

[That was one of his main worries after waking up here--leaving everyone at home to wonder where the six of them had disappeared to.]

What about you, Arisato-kun?

[... Ha. Right. At least...at least there's that.

Minato supposes he should be sincerely grateful that nobody will be missing him or looking for him. In an odd way, it's a small favor, right..?

(It's a bit of a pang, but he is sincerely happy that Izuku has something to worry about like that. It's important to have people who miss you.

And Ryoji--nobody remembers or misses him except for a very select few.)]

I hadn't seen Ryoji for a long time before here. I guess I'm just...really glad I got to see him again...? [But he can't be glad Ryoji's gone--because he had nowhere to go to.]

Oh... [Izuku's smile falters as he starts picking up that something Isn't Quite Right.

Right. Ryoji had mentioned there being trouble in his world, didn't he?] Is it... because of his old memories coming back?

[... Oh...]

... Did he tell you something about that?

Yeah... he said something about having a few forms? That you were the only one who could see him the first time. And after getting his second form for a while, that he remembered he was meant to bring suffering to the people around him.

[Izuku frowns slightly.] I still don't...understand what exactly Mochizuki-kun meant by that, but I know that he was happy that he'd gotten to share those few months at school with you and your friends.

[... Hm. That's a lot more than Minato expected Ryoji to share, but...then again, Ryoji's always been so open and genuine. Maybe it's not surprising, after all.]

Hey... Midoriya-kun.

Thank you for being such a good friend to him while he was here. Honestly...that means a lot to me.

Y-you don't have to thank me for something like that! [Izuku grows flustered immediately.] Mochizuki-kun was a good friend to me, too...

[Then, he falls silent for a moment. There's a few things he's putting together, little clues that Minato's dropped here and there, to form a picture--and it makes him a little uneasy. The way Minato's thanking him, the way Minato had said they hadn't seen each other in a while...]

Arisato-kun...is there no way to reach him when you get back home?

... Yeah.

[Ultimately, Minato just sighs that out, shaking his head. He can't say that Ryoji's dead, exactly, because Ryoji is Death. He can't die. Not unless Minato kills him, of course, out of that strange loophole, and he never did that. But he's...]

He...went pretty far away, before. To a place where we can't reach him anymore.

[Well, Minato wouldn't be able to see him even if he wasn't, but that's not something he wants to get into here and now.]

I didn't think I'd get to see him again, before I saw him here.

[That's why...it hurts so much that he's gone now.]

[Oh. That explains a lot. Though Izuku thinks it's cruel to separate Minato and Ryoji like this, part of him is glad that the two of them got to meet again--he hopes that they at least felt the same way, even if it makes everything bittersweet in the end.

Quietly, hesitantly, Izuku slips out of the chair so he can reach Minato's side and wrap his arms around him.]

I'm sorry, Arisato-kun.

[The slight hitch in his voice gives away the way he's tearing up.]

[... Oh...

He wasn't expecting the hug, but he...doesn't mind it. He doesn't mind it at all. It's reassuring, in a way, and while the way Izuku's voice wobbles makes him feel a little bad... he finds that he's grateful, if nothing else, that Izuku cares enough to cry about Ryoji, and him.]

... It's okay. [He says that softly, wrapping his arms around Izuku in return, sighing softly.] I'm lucky...that I got to see him again at all. It's something really... really precious to me.

I was hoping that you'd see it that way. [Izuku admits, not pulling away just yet.]

I know that we'll all have to return to our own worlds eventually and we'll have to say goodbye to everyone we've met here. [It's something that's been on his mind for a while now, though he's been afraid to bring it up before. But finding out about Ryoji's circumstances reminds him of this all over again.]

It's kind of like this, isn't it? We're all lucky that we got to meet and become friends here. Even if it hurts when we have to go our different paths later, I...I think I'm grateful that I've been able to meet you and everyone else. [Izuku's voice softens.] I'd be happy to carry memories of everyone back home with me.

... Yeah, me too.

[It's sad, no matter what. Thinking of leaving all of these people behind, when many of them are already precious friends to him. But no matter what, people need to get home, and...

That's just how it is.

Quietly, Minato murmurs:]

It's worth it, anyway. Bonds like that don't just go away. so even if we separate...those bonds will always be there to hold us all together.

[And the fact that Izuku will remember makes him happy too--someone remembering him for the person he was here, that most of SEES will never see.]

Yeah. [Finally he pulls away, scrubbing fiercely at his eyes as he does so. He has a feeling it'll be some time before everyone has to part, if their ability to go home really does hinge on fixing things here, but it's still bittersweet to think about it.

When his eyes are dry again, Izuku musters up a smile.]

Maybe when it happens, we could all get together and exchange notes or...or tokens of some kind to remember each other by! [He pauses.] Do you think it'd be weird if I asked people to sit for portraits?

I don't think it'd be weird at all.

[To him, this feels uncannily familiar, after all. Minato lets Izuku pull away without argument, settling his hands back into his pockets now that their hug is over. It's not something he'll be forgetting, though--that level of touch and comfort is something he always appreciates.]

I think a lot of people would appreciate it, actually. The more we can hold onto of each other...the better, right?

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